Newb question comin at ya. Do you just disconnect the ballast from the outlet or do you disconnect the light from the ballast? Does it matter?
I was told to disconnect the ballast from the light. He said the ballast could hold a small charge and bite you on a bulb change. Don't know if it's true, but why chance it? Good luck.
Always disconnect from the power source before servicing any electrical device, The ballast contains capacitors which could discharge so disconnect the lamp cord from the ballast before removing the bulb.
Sorry, if I am misunderstanding but, I am not talking about bulb change. Just turning off light when on 18/6 light schedule.
Don't ever unplug the hood from the ballast if it's plugged into the wall. Unplug from the wall first, always and get a timer.